In Training, photographs of bonsai treesA few years ago, I began photographing bonsai trees as a personal project. Fast forward two years later, I have a beautifully-designed book of my photos I'd love to share.
I wasn't sure why, but I felt a deep, visceral connection to these ancient trees. The bonsai, themselves, seemed the very opposite of the subjects I usually photographed - they stood before me fully present, their sense of time measured in decades, even centuries. From my first glimpse of the trees all those years ago, I knew implicitly that there was something to be learned from them, from their endurance and quiet dignity.

I'm a photographer based in Washington, DC and shoot for clients like Time, The New York Times Magazine, Stern, Wired, Outside, The Atlantic and National Public Radio, among others.

Ryan Neil, an American bonsai master said this of the book: There's an intimacy to bonsai that is largely invisible. It exists in those sacred moments between artist and tree in partnership; an understanding of what is and can be as it unfolds over seasons and years. That proximity, the relationship that forms in the creative collaboration that makes up the art of bonsai is one of its most endearing qualities. Stephen's photographs shed a quiet, respectful light on these wonderful moments. I feel fortunate to see such beauty being put into the world with the careful intention these trees deserve.

The photos have been featured by National Geographic, Slate and Atlas Obscura among others.